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Brookline crosswalk death draws attention to busy Washington Street

BROOKLINE, Mass. — The death of a 63-year-old Boston woman in a crosswalk this month is forcing Brookline leaders to take a long hard look at busy Washington Street.

“Cars just go too fast on that part of the road,” Brookline Transportation Board Chair Brian Kane said.

Patricia Arelleno died Nov. 5 after a car hit her around 11:30 in the morning while she was crossing Downing Road along Washington Street. The driver was cited for failure to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, according to Brookline Police. Kane suspects speed played a role.

“I have to believe that the [driver] whipped around the corner at a high speed,” Kane said. “The woman was killed in a crosswalk. You’re supposed to be safe in a crosswalk. This is just unacceptable.”

But longtime residents said drivers have been speeding along Washington Street for years, taking advantage of the downhill slope between traffic lights at Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street.

According to Brookline Police, there have been 64 car crashes, five bicycle crashes, one e-scooter crash, and three pedestrian crashes on Washington Street between Beacon Street and Bartlett Crescent since 2017.

The speed limit along Washington Street is 25 mph, but neighbor Randy Parker said it’s common to see drivers going 35 or 40 mph.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen, and sadly two weeks ago we saw the worst happen,” Parker said. “This stretch [of road] has been a problem since the day we moved in.”

Kane said he planned to recommend Brookline take steps to fix the problem at Monday’s Transportation Board meeting.

“I’m going to suggest Brookline join [the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition], that we begin finding ways to use design and enforcement to slow cars down,” Kane said. “25 miles an hour is the speed limit, but that’s almost useless if there’s not enforcement or if there’s not design changes that really force you to slow down.”

Brookline Town Manager Melvin Kleckner, Select Board Chair Heather Hamilton and Vice Chair Raul Fernandez did not respond to an email seeking comment.